Mutant
by Izzi89
Summary: Engie knew exactly what Snippy was implying, however, both Captain and Pilot didn't know, nor cared about what led to this unexplained fear of the sound of the wind. And that, as usual, was all Captain's fault


**A/N: My first non-OC Romantically Apocalyptic story, to be finished. Enjoy**

**Mutant:**

The orange glow of the dim fire, reflected off the faces, and gasmask, of the three men and one Captain, respectively; as they huddled around it, their bodies greedily absorbing what little heat it emitted. Positioned in the middle of the bare, roofless, one room apartment, the four men struggled not to freeze to death. The couple of skeletons crouched in the corner didn't seem to mind though.

Dr. Gromov's muscles were aching, the burning anger he felt, not managing to keep him warm. He shook as he uncurled his arms, extending them towards the small fire, "What a brilliant hideout you chose for us, Charles," he grumbled, his voice trembling slightly, "Did it not occur to you that we might be needing a _roof_!" he emphasized the last word angrily.

Snippy was in no better condition, he felt as though his fists had frozen over in the clenched position, "Oh well next time I'm trying to decide which is more important, a roof or proper protection from mutated creatures.." he paused to shoot an angry glare at the engineer, "I'll be sure to remember that you prefer dismemberment to some chilly air"

"_I'll_ be sure to remind you of this, when you're trying to collect your fingers, that have fallen off from frostbite!" Engie grunted, pushing the sniper with his shoulder slightly, trying to get as much warmth from the fire as possible. _Could fingers even fall of for that reason?_

The Captain stood staring into the 4 meter distance of the room, positioned behind his crouched Pilot, across from the engineer, "Enough complaining Engie!" he said loudly, his voice and pose not wavering in the bone chilling air, "Snippy has a wonderful choice in housing.. This place has a marvelous view of zee beautiful stars"

The three other men lifted their heads to where their Captain gestured, barely managing to make out the dark clouds that covered the black sky. They chose not to comment as they lowered their heads to exchange brief glances. Silently, they fixed their gaze on the dying fire, that, with a short crackle and a fizzle, was out.

After a moment of staring at the ruminants of the fire, stunned, Engie sighed, "Stupendous" he muttered, tightening his coat around his body.

Suddenly, the wind howled ominously, Engie and Snippy's heads jerked up. "We should get this fire started again, quickly" Snippy said, nervously trying to gather what little was left of the wood.

Engie moved back, getting out of the man's way, "Maybe we should instead try to find somewhere with better cover" he suggested.

The Sniper's eyes sharply turned to face the engineer, "You want to go out there? Now? In this dark?!" he hissed, going back to futilely trying to get the moistened firewood lit.

"What is all this panic about mein minions?" the Captain said, spreading his arms, "Isn't the wind children's song beautiful?"

"And dangerous.." Snippy muttered, looking away.

Engie knew exactly what Snippy was implying, however, both Captain and Pilot didn't know, nor cared about what led to this unexplained fear of the sound of the wind. And that, as usual, was all Captain's fault:

Not too long before, Snippy cautiously proceeded forward through the streets, surrounded by crumbling skyscrapers, eyes darting right and left. He stopped next to a marble fountain, the statue in the middle deformed beyond recognition, listening cautiously for anything out of the ordinary. Instantly, someone bumped into him from behind, "Watch it would ya!" he muttered, peering over his shoulder at the cowering engineer.

The scientist looked around fearfully, the shadowy halves of buildings looking extremely intimidating. He hummed something under his breath, that could be some sort of an apology, or an insult just as easily. The Sniper, for the sake of maintaining peace, chose to believe it was the first, and turned his attention back to his surroundings.

Engie took a step to the side when realizing he had been standing inches away from a hobo human skeleton. It stared at him with hollowed eyes and a manic smile, his or her cup frozen over next to them, forever waiting to be filled. He turned to glare at the Sniper's back, "Hurry up, Charles.. It's dangerous out here" he said, continuing to fidget about frightfully.

Snippy sighed, the two were out there because Captain had disappeared since morning. Alexander woke him up earlier on in the day, freaking out almost hysterically when he couldn't locate the Captain. Snippy wouldn't have cared less about Captain's disappearance. In fact, he would've been quite relieved that he could finally get some sleep in the morning. However, Gromov wasn't about to let him fall back asleep, "Don't you understand?! Without Seven's luck I'm doomed! Annie will find me and fry my brains in no time!"

Realizing that the cowardly man wouldn't let him fall back asleep, the sniper got up in the poor excuse of a room. It had a bed, but also happened to have less walls than it should. he looked around drowsily, not stopping on the shaking engineer, just to discover that the purple eyed lunatic had taken the rifle with him. That didn't contribute well to the engineer's hysterical state. So that's how, he and Engie found themselves wandering the ruined city, searching for their Captain, and lost rifle.

Snippy was already finished complaining about how the Captain lived only to annoy him, then making snarky remarks on how Gromov should man up; and so, was willing to focus on being serious and keeping an eye on his surroundings.

The two men stopped in the middle of a square, the quartz screens that once bore ads for a Better Future and Happiness for half price, were now broken and covered in ice. Buildings designed for trading, business, and housing for the rich, were reduced to damaged, hollow, cement structures, being held up by white icy coating.

Snippy took a moment to absorb his surroundings, "You check in that building over there, I'll go into this one here." he commanded.

Alexander eyed the many dark shadows, surely, around every corner a beast was baring its teeth, and readying its claws to take his life, "Alone?!" he asked fearfully.

The sniper turned to him and shrugged, "Well it's not like I can protect you either way" he said gesturing with his empty hands, "The faster we find Captain, the faster I can get my rifle back.. Not that it's usually of any use anyways"

Engie stared at the man for a few moments, then hesitantly walked towards the large frontless building Snippy had previously pointed out. Meanwhile, the later moved with hurried steps towards what was once a famous media center.

He wasn't too bad of a tracker, he thought as he searched the ground, his Dead Zone tour Guide training was quite helpful in these situations. However, the Captain never seemed to leave any tracks anywhere. It was like the man floated rather than walked. He stopped for a moment at the edge of a slippery sidewalk, reanalyzing the last thought, before shaking his head dismissively. No, he can't start thinking like that, lest the worst happens, and he starts believing Pilot's nonsense. The logical explanation was simply that Captain hadn't been in this area for a while.

Waking from his thoughts, Charles noticed something odd, a pedestrian light flickering a couple streets away, signaling that it was safe to cross. It seemed almost funny, since nothing was ever safe anywhere in the wasteland. He approached cautiously, it still had an electric supply? Perhaps a generator? That would come in quite useful.

Snippy moved towards the pole quickly, suddenly feeling an unusual static in the air. The hair on his body stood up, and he felt Goosebumps form on his arms, and a tingling cold chill run down his spine. Random possibilities rushed through his mind as to what might be causing it, from loose exposed wires, to giant plasma balls. But none seemed to explain it well enough, only managing to confuse and frustrate him further. Suddenly, he saw what seemed to be a sparking object around a corner. He froze for a moment, before turning his attention to this new discovery, deciding it was better to investigate it than a lying street light. Before he could take another step in that direction, a mutated creature emerged from behind the wall.

The man froze, either in fear or awe. Whichever it was, he was unable to do as much as blink. From around the corner of what was left of a building, appeared a human girl, if she could still be called that. Extraordinarily beautiful, her slender petite body unclothed, even in a radioactive winter. Long, yellow amber-colored hair flowed around her face in abnormal directions, as if there was an unseen current carrying it around. Bright yellow light engulfed her entire body, or her skin itself glowed with that color. Her eyes, surrounded by what seemed to be many blackened scars, were blank white surfaces, staring at him with no irises. Sparks of electricity varying in size, emitted somehow from her body, and circled it in a continuous flow of white.

It was as if time stopped, as the electrically charged creature remained motionless where she stood next to a light-pole. Its top had burst as she approached, sparks emitting from it. Her gaze shifted slightly off Snippy, and he suddenly heard a faint sound behind him, that was amplified by the odd silence around them. The Sniper whipped around, alarmed, to see the Engineer approaching cautiously, tripping slightly over some rubble as his attention was drawn away from the ground.

Engie stopped a couple feet behind the sniper, his eyes fixed on the bare girl, "My God.. What is it? Charles?" he whispered, as if sound would contaminate the situation.

The Sniper turned back to stare at the still motionless girl, clearing his throat nervously, his muscles tense, "I don't know.. Must be a mutated girl"

The Engineer couldn't find it in him to remark Snippy's eloquence at stating the obvious, and the latter didn't have the usual urge to become sarcastic when directed with stupid questions. The two once more grew silent, staring at the beautiful, but potentially dangerous creature.

How much of her was still human, the sniper found himself wondering, what other creatures had once been human? All the time he spent in the wasteland, he had encountered numerous monstrosities. Some, their origin identifiable, such as Photoshop. But it had never once occurred to him, that there might be some that started off human. Perhaps, it was because he had assumed that humanity was merely wiped out by the nuclear explosion. Now, it finally dawned on him that some creatures, such as the Hunter-wraith, somewhat resembled humans.

The girl stepped off the curb, walking slowly on the tips of her toes in the two men's direction, causing them to tense. She stopped half way and lifted her hand towards them, her fingers spread apart, as though wanting to grab them. Her face, not seeming fit to bear expressions properly, still somehow read something that resembled longing. Her lips then slowly parted, and the men instinctively leaned in slightly, as if making sure they wouldn't miss the smallest sound. A sound similar to a woman's voice, horribly distorted to become more like an electronic static, came out. Her vocal cords must've been deformed along with the rest of her. She abruptly closed her mouth, bringing her hand to her throat, apparently just as surprised by her own voice.

Slowly, the mutant lifted her head, staring at the two men who backed away fearfully. Once more, she attempted to form words, extending a hand desperately towards them. However, only more jumbled sounds escaped her lips. She lowered her head and shook for a few moments, her head then jerking up towards the sky. Suddenly, a blood curdling howl came out of her lips, its pitch raising painfully. So much so, that the Engineer and Sniper had to cover their ears, cringing in pain from the piercing noise. The mournful like howl drew out for a few minutes, before stopping. Still, both men remained crouched over their muscles feeling tight, the echo of the howl still ringing in their bones.

Finally, Snippy was first to regain some of his composure, straightening slightly and glancing nervously at the Electric Woman, who let out an angry sounding grumble. The sparks around her multiplied threateningly, seeming to focus more in her arm, and the static in the air intensified. A few electronic screens glowed, before what glass was left intact exploded into small shards, sparks flying out of exposed wires. With what power he could muster, Snippy grabbed his companion's stiff arm, half dragging him away.

Snippy mapped out the obstacle course before him in his head, pulling the other along with some difficulty, "Come on.. Work with me Engie." he grumbled, as more screeches rose behind him, followed closely by electric explosions.

However, besides stiffly alternating his legs, the man of science seemed unable to speak, or move his muscles much for that matter. Snippy continued dragging him down the street, as fast as he could manage. His muscles were aching as well, his ears were ringing, and his head spinning. But he made his way away from the creature like their life depended on it, which it did.

With a loud screech from the woman, a bolt of yellow lightening hit the asphalt next to the two men, cracking it and singeing the surrounding area with black. The Sniper cursed under his breath, ducking further and tugging the Engineer roughly.

By the next missed lightning bolt, the two men had regained enough mobility to break into a full sprint. Snippy was impressed that the clearly out of shape man, could manage to speed down the street the way the engineer did. He made a mental note to poke fun at the man later, should they escape this situation alive. He was forced out of his thoughts when another bolt hit the building next to him, causing large blocks of cement to fall to the ground near them; and Engie to yelp in fear, trip over his own feet, and fall to his face.

Had Snippy had any time, he would've used it to facepalm. But since he didn't, he used those precious seconds to grab the fallen man from underneath his arms, hoisting him up to his feet, then gave him a rough push to keep him running ahead. As they miraculously managed to escape yet another bolt of electricity, Snippy realized that the only way they'd be able to maintain their living status, was if they stopped running in a straight line in the open like idiots. He quickly spotted a side street, then turned to glance at the engineer. He reached over, grabbing Alexander's backpack with one hand, roughly swinging him into the street.

Engie let out a frightened yelp, barely managing to keep himself from falling to his face with the momentum. He slowed his pace slightly, to turn and glare at the maniac Sniper, "What the hell were you…."

However, before he could finish his sentence, Snippy was lunging in his direction. The Engineer's brain drew a blank and everything turned slow motion. The Sniper was slowly floating through the air, his goggled expression seeming to be determinate. Disturbed rubble and snowflakes spread around in a way he had never noticed before. Alexander tried to move back quickly, but despite his brain seeming to work at the correct pace, his body matched its surrounding's low speed. Behind Snippy, a larger bolt of electricity hit a wrecked car; as it exploded into many shards of burning metal, time finally returned to its accustomed pace.

Suddenly, Alexander heard the explosion, and Snippy smacked into him. That, along with the blast wave, sent both men flying into the side street, and tumbling to a rough stop. The engineer froze, pinned underneath Snippy. He looked up at the man, who quickly got off him. Then stood up and brushed his jacket slightly, staring down the street with concern. He then turned to the still stunned engineer on the ground, who somehow seemed to resemble a turtle stuck on its back. He offered a hand, "What are you doing Gromov? Get up already!" he huffed.

Engie seemed to regain his senses at that, glaring at the sniper angrily. Completely ignoring the extended hand, he shakily stood up on his own. Snippy didn't seem bothered, simply returning his hand to his side, "We might be able to get away if we hurry." he said gesturing towards the other end of the street.

The two silently ran down the narrow street, littered with pieces of cement, some scorched beast cadavers, and a few human skeletons. Snippy glanced over his shoulder nervously every once in a while, no one was following them. More of the mournful howls sounded, a few more explosions coming from the main street, before everything suddenly grew quiet. Something wasn't right, Snippy could sense it, something was bound to go wrong if they continued down that road. By the time they neared the other end, Snippy was overly suspicious, he extended his hand, grabbing Alexander's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

Engie whipped around, "What the heck Charles?!" he said, distressed, "We have to hurry! Before she comes after us!"

Snippy looked around, "No.. there's something wrong." he nervously said, then turned to stare at the engineer in the visors, "I don't think we should go that way."

Alexander shrugged off Snippy's grip, he wasn't about to listen to a paranoid sniper's logic. Honestly, since when was moving _away_ from something dangerous, something dangerous? He decided to vocalize his thoughts, as he walked away from the silent man, "Honestly Charles, since when was moving away from something dangerous, something dangerous?"

Engie smiled smugly when his companion couldn't argue with his logic, if there was one area he could kick ass in, it was logical argument. Suddenly, a couple of rats ran past his feet, startling him and causing him to yelp in fear. As he did his usual dance of fear, he could hear the sniper snicker behind him. He turned sharply to glare, wishing he wasn't wearing a mask at that moment so the other would know just how fearsome that glare was, "It startled me Snippy, that's all." he said, trying to maintain what dignity hadn't died along with the world.

Snippy was no longer snickering, he wasn't moving either, just staring at him almost looking afraid. Alexander stared at him confusedly for a few moments, he had never received that kind of reaction before. _Oh damn_, he thought, this is the typical movie scene where danger is right behind the oblivious, handsome character. He gulped, and then that character turns around to let out one last scream, before the monster shreds them to pieces, leaving only a bloody mess off guts and limbs. He stiffly turned around, seeing as he expected, a large gaped mouth, with saliva oozing between rows of sharp teeth. Death by mutated seal, not the most dignifying death. The Seal: A large creature, at least twice the size of its ancestors, sluggish slow movement, due to their water origins. Large appetites though, and a painful tendency to chew their victims alive, he noted.

"Engie move!" he heard Snippy scream behind him.

Only then did Gromov stumble back, seeing a medium sized rock fly past him, hitting the creature in the face. He less than gracefully turned sharply, running towards the marksman who threw another stone at the Seal. He quickly reached the man, and they took off back towards the entrance of the street together. He began panting, "We're heading back towards the electric lady!" he somehow managed to say.

"Does it seem that we have much of a choice?!" Snippy grumbled, trying to channel his anger towards a better purpose, like running.

They could hear the monster's rough advance towards them, Snippy looked over his shoulder, this land Seal was somewhat faster than the usual specimens he would sometimes run into. He ran to the clearing of the square once more, the engineer close behind. Snippy looked around nervously, still continuing to run down the street. He looked over at his companion, seeing him out of breath, and his pace slowing noticeably.

Snippy grabbed the man's arm, helping him to keep running along. Weaving through buildings, streets, and random obstacles, the two managed to create some distance between them and the almost slow moving Seal. However, it was clear from the way Gromov began to trip, that he wouldn't be able to keep moving for much longer. Suddenly, Snippy saw the electric girl in the distance, sitting on the roof of a crisped frame of a car, her head buried in her palms. Just as he noticed her, she lifted her head to look at the newcomers disrupting her peace. She stared at them seeming surprised. The sniper startled by this new problem, stopped abruptly, just for Engie to bump into him from behind, as he had been doing all day.

The two men froze, danger threatening to appear from behind at any moment, and their escape route blocked by an electric death. The woman hopped off the car, landing silently on her toes, in an almost feral manner. She steadily approached them, the sparks around her flying out of control. Snippy's heart raced as he tried to figure out how they might escape. The street was rather broad, but there were no more side streets to be seen, just rows of buildings stuck to each other. He cursed the modern architect that made sure not to waste the slightest space. Going into the buildings wasn't an option, they'd be trapped the second they passed the threshold.

Suddenly, the Seal burst through the rundown wall of a clothing shop, eagerly making its way down the street. Its tail thrashed and thumped knocking rubble around, as it propelled itself towards its delicious looking prey. The men's attention was drawn away from the impending danger, when the woman let out an angry screech. As they attempted to whip around, two bolts of lightning shot past them, the creature behind them letting out a pained yelp. In some sort of a delayed reaction, Snippy backed away from the woman, tripping on the engineer behind him, and causing both to fall to the ground, somewhat tangled. Ignoring Engie's muffled groans, Snippy removed his elbow from where it had been imbedded in the other's abdomen, scooting over to sit on the ground rather than on the legs of the engineer.

Charles glanced over at the smoking motionless body of the Seal some distance behind them, apparently the woman had no intention of sharing her prey with it. Engie's elbow was jabbing him roughly in the side. He furrowed his brows, was this really the right time to make a point about hurting him? Couldn't he wait until they were at least safe. Snippy turned to give Engie a piece of his mind, just for his eyes to land on the towering figure that walked up in front of them. He could see their reflection in the woman's blank eyes, her face emotionless as she stood steadily, one hand lifted with her fingers curled up stiffly. The sparks around her crackled and hummed ominously, stinging them slightly at this close range. The air vibrated, heating slightly.

The sniper felt a lump in his throat, any moment now she'd spread her hand in their direction, frying them with a bolt of lightning. However, a few moments passed and they weren't dead yet. He studied the woman, his mind retrieving the thought he had earlier, _how much of her was left human?_ Perhaps he could appeal to her human side.. "Wait!" he said pleadingly, lifting his hands.

The woman seemed surprised Snippy was trying to talk to her, she tilted her head, unsure how she should respond. "Don't kill us." he added, almost hesitantly.

"Are you actually trying to negotiate your way out with a mutant?" Engie whispered hysterically, feeling as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

The woman's eyes turned sharply towards Alexander, obviously not amused by his comment, causing him to shrink back. Snippy's fingers wrapped around his arm, squeezing it painfully so he would shut up before he got them both killed prematurely. "I know there's something still human in there, that's why you saved us from that thing." he wasn't quite sure how much he believed that statement himself.

The girl stared at Snippy, seeming at a loss, possibly wondering the same thing. Snippy took the fact that she still hadn't killed them yet, as a good sign. Encouraged, he slowly stood up, the engineer following hesitantly, if for no other reason than being able to run away should anything go wrong. The girl shrunk back, tensing slightly as she cautiously moved her eyes between the two. Snippy lifted his hands, trying not to look aggressive. Still, the girl backed away slightly, readying the electricity in her arms. Snippy instinctively backed also, pushing the engineer behind him, "Please wait!" he said lifting his hands to shield himself.

The sniper could've sworn he saw a regretful sad glint in her hollow eyes, before she quickly pulled her arms to her chest, balling her fists. The sparks grew more unsteady, multiplying dangerously. Snippy immediately recognized the preludes to an electric attack. Cursing, he grabbed Engie's collar, forcing him to hunch over, and roughly pulled him out of the way. Snippy glanced at the woman, he saw a bolt of lightning larger than the ones that preceded it, shooting out of her outward extended hands. However, contrary to what he assumed, it wasn't aimed at them. Instead, it hit the large body of the Seal, that had leapt towards them.

Snippy heard the bolt hit the mutated sea-creature with a muted explosion, and a short growl from the later. Its large clawed fin swiped at the woman, missing her by a few inches. Snippy turned to the left, quickly ushering the engineer away from the battle, towards the line of buildings. Suddenly, the woman let out another screech, the pressure and temperature of the air increasing rapidly, followed by a whistling sound. Some sort of pressure wave hit the two men in the back, causing them to fall face first to the ground. Snippy, still holding onto Engie's coat, looked over his shoulder, to see the Mutant Seal explode from the inside out, with a nauseating organic splattering sound. A rain of red blood and shreds of flesh and bone fell on, and around the girl, a few droplets even made it onto him.

The man turned away, feeling his stomach turning. Just then did he notice from the ground, that the building across from him was lacking a back wall. He stood up as fast as he could, pulling the cowering Engie with him. He didn't dare to look behind him at the monstrous girl, ducking under the slanted entrance, then jumping over the piles of rubble crowding the way out. Once on the other side of the building in the open, Engie pushed away from Snippy, running as fast as he could. He could hear the girl howling and destroying stuff, but it didn't seem that she intended on leaving her territory. Still, the two men didn't stop running until the gorge, where the lone rundown building they temporarily called their base, was in sight. And only then did they slow to a stop.

Snippy panted, looking around for a few minutes, "She's not following us." he assured Engie between breaths.

The Engineer wheezed for air, leaning on his bent knee with one hand, his other wrapped around his side. He then sat on the uneven ground, gesturing with his hand for a few moments as if trying to speak, before giving up with a slight wave of the hand.

Snippy said nothing, listening to the blowing air, and looking into the distance as he thought back to the woman. Finally in this odd day, he could get some rest. Perhaps have a nap before Captain…..

"Mr. Snippy, Engie! There you are!" the cheerful voice of the Captain called, startling the two men, "Where have you been? You disappeared since morning."

Snippy tightened his grip, feeling his face slowly turning red and his muscles tensing, as he turned to the approaching man, "No, _you_ disappeared since morning!" he hissed from between his clunched jaws, "Where is my rifle?!"

The tall man stopped between his two minions, glancing at them sparingly before looking away, "Ah yes, your rifle," he said, rubbing his fist, "Pilot and I, are conducting a photo shoot for zee Captain's sexy army."

Snippy sighed, lowered his head with defeat, listening carelessly as his Captain paced about, "It occurred to me that the lack of enlisting lately, is due to the poor advertisement for zee most wonderful army in all of Captania," the Captain explained, "Your rifle was an important prop.."

The Captain then turned to face the two once more, "Which reminds me, Snippy, we still need a model for our new and improved laxative commercial."

Snippy stared at him blankly, thinking back to his archive of excuses why he couldn't do that Mission\request\order\suggestion. He then remembered, "What do you need commercials for?" he asked, slightly disturbed.

The Captain lifted his head, his chest broadening as he drew in a breath proudly, "Well my snipster," he began cheerfully, "If all goes well, I will launch Captania's very first official channel, Captain TV."

He paused to give his minions a chance to absorb the awesomeness of his plan, before continuing, "It will broadcast all sorts of glorious programs, directed by me, for all the minions of Captania to enjoy. My personal favorites being: 1000,002 ways to Annoy Snippy- Hosted by Pilot and yours truly.. The best of Snippy's Sleeping habits- Snippy, you get a small part in that one.. Cooking with Snippy- Written by Miss Photoshop.. An ongoing documentary about zee magical miracles of Captain- conducted by Pilot.. How to be a good minion- Staring Pilot, and you Mr. Snippy as the bad example.."

Engie snorted getting up, seeming genuinely amused, "This actually seems like a good idea." he said, meeting the Sniper's glare with a smirk.

The Captain turned to stare blankly at the engineer for a few moments, "I'm glad you think so Engie.. Because you'll be responsible for the cameras, lighting, and all technical aspects of running the channe.l"

Alexander's shoulders dropped, "What?" he attempted to protest weakly.

"You will make sure we are being broadcasted all over the world, all hours of the day, every day of the week." the Captain spread his arms out, spinning slightly to demonstrate the grandness of his plan, "Imagine, zee glorious face of Captien in every home, on every screen, bringing joy and happiness to everyone!"

The man's outspread hands barely missed Snippy's head, instead smacking Engie in the face, causing him to stumble back. "_Ow!_" Alexander groaned, adjusting his gasmask back into place, "You expect me to stay awake 24/7 for the rest of my life?!"

"Yes!" zee Captain said happily, "It is most important for the broadcast to be continuous! Don't worry, Pilot and I will make sure you stay awake the whole time."

Snippy patted Engie on the back, well, actually it was more like smacked roughly, "Good luck with that, Engie." he said rather smugly.

The Captain ignored the glaring war that broke out, turning around and marching towards where he last left his Pilot, "Come minions.. Chop chop.. We don't have all day, you know." he loudly ordered.

With a unison sigh, the two men broke eye contact, following after him with sluggish steps. Luckily for the two though, by the time they'd reached the 'studio' where Captain had left Pilot, the maniac had managed to set himself, and the studio, on fire. Unharmed by some miracle, Pilot, -after being extinguished- explained what had forced him to execute the building. Despite the fact that "The building was the base of an evil army of milk-hating giant squirrels. Cooperating with Mr. Kittyhawk, and forging sinister plans to take over Captania!" probably wasn't true. For once, his idiocy had actually spared the others the trouble of more idiocy. Project Broadcast had been postponed, so instead that day, the Captain sent them out to locate Photoshop, who had swallowed Snippy's rifle, before running off.

Coincidently, it was Snippy who was first to find her. Or rather, she found him….

The Sniper shuddered, rubbing his shoulder instinctively as he awoke from his memory. He looked over at the Engineer, and somehow they both knew what the other had been remembering.

"Mr. Snippy!" The Captain called from beside the broken window.

Said Sniper turned around slightly, staring at the madman for a few moments, "Yeah Captain?"

"This Banshee song has given me zee most wonderful idea!" he said happily, turning around and clasping his hands together, "Would you like to hear it?"

Snippy's expression didn't change as he answered flatly, "No."

The Captain seemed unfazed, approaching his huddled minions once more, "Well that's too bad, I'm going to tell you anyway." he paused for dramatic effect, shifting his gaze through the faces the three men.

However, to his slight disappointment, only Pilot was staring at him eagerly waiting, shifting around cross-legged on the ground. The Sniper was staring at the ground carelessly, pretending that he wasn't listening, while Engie edged away slowly, trying not to get noticed.

"What is your idea Captain?!" the Pilot begged, now resembling an impatient puppy, the wait apparently more than he could withstand, "Tell me! Tell me!"

The Captain cleared his throat, the aviator's excitement restoring his enthusiasm about the thought, "Captain goes Broadway!" he announced.

The sheer brilliance of the plan was astonishing to Pilot, even though he had no idea what Broadway was. Surely, it was a magnificent thing for the Captain to want to become it, "That is a great plan Captain!" he shouted, jumping up and waving his hand.

That didn't sound anything like proper compliment, he thought, especially since the cold air caused his voice to tremble as he spoke, and his jumps weren't nearly as energetic as he would've wanted. He'd give it another go, perhaps using a better word.. But what word is good enough to describe pure awesomeness?

"That's a Captainest plan, Captain!" he shouted again, trying to jump higher to better the quality of the compliment.

The Captain nodded pompously, crossing his arms and stiffening his pose, "It is, isn't it?"

Engie slowly inched back to settle next to Snippy, who had his arms resting on his knees, and his head hanging, "He's going to make us dress in ridiculous costumes, and sing and dance all over the place, right?"

"Yep." Snippy answered, not bothering to lift his head.

"Marvelous…" Engie muttered, then added more to himself, "But perhaps I could convince him to let me take care of the lighting, or something.."

The two lifted their heads to watch Captain, as he and Pilot were already rehearsing. His outlandish gestures managing to knock the wind out of the smaller man a few times. The latter trembled in the cold air, attempting to keep up with his Commander.

After watching for a few minutes in utter silence, with the exception of Zee Captain humming his distorted version of "Que Sera, Sera" Engie stood up to find more kindling, pausing to pat Snippy on the shoulder, snorting, "Break a leg Charles."

"Naturally."

**A/N: First and last Flashback story I write.. Turned out to be double the length I originally had it.. Hope I didn't fail miserably.. Comments and Criticism appreciated.**


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